Daily Herald the Brown
vol. cxliv, no. 24 | Wednesday, February25, 2009 | Serving the community daily since 1891
Green initiatives gain steam
Activities fee going up by $6
dar w in so m e , yo u lose so m e
Budget crunch won’t stop plans to make the U. more sustainable
By Sophia Li Features Editor
By Brian Mastroianni Senior Staff Writer
Leaders of Climate Action Plan initiatives and officials from Facilities Management are continuing their goals to make Brown more sustainable, despite the University’s budget squeeze. Since the release of the 2007 Energy and Environmental Advisory Council report, Brown has reduced its carbon dioxide emissions footprint by 7.7 percent. The report showed that Brown’s total greenhouse gas footprint is 82,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents, with 46,000 tons emitted from on-site burning of fossil fuels and 36,000 tons from electricity. “Those findings two years ago really jumpstarted a big student movement centered on carbon neutrality,” said Michael Glassman ’09, a member of Community Carbon Use Reduction at Brown. CCURB started as a pilot program in 2007 funded by a $350,000 pledge by the Office of President Ruth Simmons and the Sidney E. Frank Foundation, as well as an additional $50,000 from Wal-Mart. As a result of the various CCURB initiatives, Brown was able to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions footprint. The 7.7 percent reduction is the first step in reaching a total reduction of 42 percent by 2020, said Kurt Teichert, manager of environmental stewardship initiatives. Teichert said CCURB’s effort to make Brown a more energy-efficient university is a continuation of the environmentally friendly trends that have been a part of the campus culture for decades. “Since the early ’90s, Brown has had the Brown is Green initiative — as a result, we’ve always used less energy than our peer institutions,” Teichert said. “Throughout the years we had an Energy and Government Advisory Committee, an Energy Task Force — all of those early initiatives all led to the mindset of, ‘What can we do to establish longterm goals?’” CCURB engaged in several student-run projects, such as Project 20/20, where students and faculty installed high-efficiency lightbulbs in 5,000 low-income Providence homes, Teichert said.
inside
continued on page 2
News.....1-4 Higher Ed..5-6 Spor ts...7-8 Editorial..10 Opinion...11 Today........12
www.browndailyherald.com
Max Monn / Herald
Professor of Biology Kenneth Miller ’70 P’02 moderated a panel on evolution and religion Tuesday.
Econ. profs discuss financial crisis By Colin Chazen Senior Staff Writer
Three economics professors sounded off on the economy and the federal stimulus bill Tuesday afternoon before a large audience in Salomon 001. Professors of Economics Peter Howitt, Ross Levine and David Weil ’82 each spoke for around 15 minutes, discussing their views on the stimulus package and sharing their overall outlooks for the economy. All three took part in a similar panel discussion in October following the passage of a $700 billion government bailout of the
financial sector. Howitt noted that last fall he called this financial crisis the worst since the Great Depression. “That was when the Dow Jones was still above 10,000,” he said. “Things are a lot worse now.” But he noted that economic crises like the current one have been regular occurrences since the late 19th century. “This fits the pattern of a big speculative run-up,” he said. “The core of the problem is simply that a lot of these assets should never have been purchased in the first place.” Howitt compared the current crisis to past ones and explained
what they tell us to expect in the years ahead. For example, similar crises preceded by speculative bubbles were followed by four to six years of stagnation before housing prices recovered, he said. He said he believed that government interventions, like the stimulus bill, are necessary responses to these large crises and that the government’s failure to act immediately exacerbated the downturn that led to the Great Depression. “Even Adam Smith realized there were limits to what he continued on page 2
The student activities fee will increase by $6 next year, part of a University budget the Corporation approved on Saturday. The small increase, which will bring the mandatory fee for all students up to $170, will generate an estimated $34,000 in additional annual funding, according to the University Resources Committee. Projected inflation and growth in the number of student groups account for the fee’s increase, said Ryan Lester ’11, student activities chair of the Undergraduate Council of Students. Last year, the fee increased $18. The student activities fee funds oncampus events run through the Student Activities Office, which includes everything from Spring Weekend to the Human Rights film festival, Lester said. Lester and his committee wrote a resolution in the middle of last semester to ask the URC to increase the fee. Though the original resolution requested an increase of $8, Lester said the URC decided to take into account overall student charges and limit the fee’s increase. Lester said UCS is trying to formalize the process of lobbying the URC to increase the student activities fee. “Over the past two years, we’ve really tried to be involved,” he said. Ideally, the fee “should adjust for inflation every year,” Lester said. UCS is currently working on an initiative with the University to endow the Student Activities Fund and to someday eliminate the fund.
Protest stalls NYU The group blocked the doors to the dining room with tables and chairs and pledged to stay inside Roughly 65 students from New until a list of 13 demands was met. York University and nearby col- The demands included public releges, all affiliated with a campaign lease of NYU’s budget and endowcalled “Take Back NYU,” barri- ment figures, student representacaded themselves in tion on the school’s the John Ben Snow board of trustees, HIGHER ED scholarships for dining room at the university’s Kimmel Center for Palestinian students, tuition staUniversity Life for about 40 hours blization, universal public access last week. to the school’s main library and The protest, which began last amnesty for those involved with Wednesday and ended Friday, has the protest. led to the suspension of eighteen “What really united the list of students, and none of the group’s continued on page 6 various demands were met.
By Ellen Cushing Senior Staff Writer
Courtesy of Alexis Johnson / Washington Square News
Protestors took over New York University’s Kimmel Center for University Life.
News, 3
Sports, 7
Opinions, 11
better odds Applications for Residential Peer Leader positions are down despite new perks.
Bad n.y. times The women’s basketball team dropped two games on the road in New York.
stay out of jail free Dan Davidson ’11 says a conviction should be required for any jail time.
195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island
herald@browndailyherald.com
Page 2
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
C ampus N EWS Microwave found, laptops not so lucky
The following summary includes all major incidents reported to the Department of Public Safety between Feb. 5 and Feb. 18. It does not include general service and alarm calls. The Providence Police Department also responds to incidents occurring
CRIME LOG off campus. DPS does not divulge information on open cases that are currently under investigation by the department, the PPD or the Office of Student Life. DPS maintains a daily log of all shift activity and general service calls which can be viewed during business hours at its headquarters, located at 75 Charlesfield St. Friday, Feb. 6 1:09 p.m. A Facilities Management employee reported a microwave stolen from a kitchen in Grad Center Tower A between Feb. 5 at 1 p.m. and Feb. 6 at 1 p.m. On Feb. 11, while investigating the case, a detective found that the microwave had been returned. Tuesday, Feb. 10 12:02 p.m. While conducting a fire safety check in Barbour Hall, an employee found in plain view on the coffee table in the common area of a suite a glass pipe and a bag of what could have been an illegal substance. The case has been turned over to Student Life.
Tower E. On Feb. 11, while investigating the case, a detective was informed that the projector had been found in another location in the building. Wednesday, Feb. 11 10:51 p.m. A student reported that his laptop computer was stolen from his room in Emery Hall. The victim suspected the laptop was taken while he was in the bathroom taking a shower. He stated that he left his door unlocked. He left his room at approximately 10:15 p.m. and returned at approximately 10:35 p.m. There are no suspects at this time. Friday, Feb. 13 5:49 p.m. While performing a security check, an officer noticed that several window screens were damaged in the stairwells of Andrews Hall. They appeared to have been kicked out. There was heavy damage to all the window sills. Facilities Management was notified. Monday, Feb. 16 10:02 a.m. A student reported that on Feb. 16, between 2 a.m. and 7 a.m., an unknown person entered her unlocked room in Diman House while she was sleeping and removed her laptop from her desk. She stated that she heard someone open the door while she was sleeping, but she did not open her eyes to see who it was.
5:23 p.m. An employee reported that a projector was stolen between Feb. 4 and Feb. 8 from Grad Center
continued on page 4
sudoku
Daily Herald the Brown
Editorial Phone: 401.351.3372 | Business Phone: 401.351.3260 Stephen DeLucia, President Michael Bechek, Vice President
Jonathan Spector, Treasurer Alexander Hughes, Secretary
The Brown Daily Herald (USPS 067.740) is an independent newspaper serving the Brown University community daily since 1891. It is published Monday through Friday during the academic year, excluding vacations, once during Commencement, once during Orientation and once in July by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. POSTMASTER please send corrections to P.O. Box 2538, Providence, RI 02906. Periodicals postage paid at Providence, R.I. Offices are located at 195 Angell St., Providence, R.I. E-mail herald@browndailyherald.com. World Wide Web: http://www.browndailyherald.com. Subscription prices: $319 one year daily, $139 one semester daily. Copyright 2009 by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
“Brown in general has always been more progressive than its peers.” — Christopher Powell, director of sustainable energy and environmental initiatives
Campus gets greener in 2008 continued from page 1 “We know there are more than 5,000 households, but there’s always more for us to do. We’re still in the early phase of what CCURB will accomplish,” Teichert said. Besides student-led efforts to make Brown and the surrounding community more energy-efficient, of ficials at Facilities Management have been working to make buildings across campus energysustainable. “At Brown we’ve always paid attention to the need to be more sustainable and energy-efficient,” said Vice President for Facilities Management Stephen Maiorisi. “Energy conservation increases with the cost of fuels. It forces you to look harder and more strategically at how to conserve energy.” This past year, Facilities instituted an energy efficiency program, taking an initial loan of $5 million to reach targeted emissions reductions each fiscal year and to support new design standards to ensure energy efficiency in future construction and renovation projects, Maiorisi said. Facilities has been working to reduce University-wide carbon emissions by installing energy-efficient lighting throughout all University buildings as part of a $2-million
lighting efficiency program and by applying a “Retro-Commissioning program” to certain buildings, said Director of Sustainable Energy and Environmental Initiatives Christopher Powell. “With Retro-Commissioning, we deal with heating, ventilation, air conditioning — we take existing buildings and try to bring them back to more energy-efficient standards,” Powell said. While the economic recession has been affecting other University initiatives, Maiorisi and Powell both said they have not encountered many obstacles in terms of reaching their energy efficiency goals. “Since we are now doing mostly renovations, rather than building new structures, it is much easier,” Maiorisi said. Powell agreed. “Twenty-five to 50 percent of the buildings are up to these efficiency standards,” he said. “It makes it more efficient and a better use of space to renovate these old structures and bring up to the new standards.” Powell said the economic climate has also altered the procurement of cleaner fuel, the price of which has dropped in recent months. All of these initiatives will work to make Brown even more of an example of energy efficiency to its
peer institutions than it already is, Teichert said. “Brown in general has always been more progressive than its peers, especially in the ’70s and ’80s — it’s due to the students that we bring in here to this university,” he said. But no matter how environmentally friendly Brown becomes, Teichert said, there is still much more that can be done. “There is certainly more that can always be done in terms of making Brown a more energy-ef ficient school,” he said. “For instance, we’ve got a lot more that we can do with water. How many gallons of water do we use? It costs more for the outside treatment of water than to bring in fresh water.” Glassman said that in order to ensure that advocacy for energy efficiency on campus continues, students have to remain active, whether in emPOWER, CCURB or in other venues. “There are some great underclassmen who come to emPOWER meetings with great ideas,” he said. “However, it takes a lot of work and there is a high learning cur ve. The question is, ‘How do we bring people up to the curve so that they can start their own initiatives in the future?’”
Professors weigh in on stimulus bill continued from page 1 called the invisible hand,” he said. Weil offered a detailed lesson in macroeconomics and talked about the effects the Obama administration hopes the stimulus package will have. “The U.S. economy is still very productive. We have a problem with aggregate demand,” he said. “Everyone wants to save and no one wants to spend.” Weil said the standard response in a situation like this is to wield monetary policy to fight the crisis. But with interest rates near zero, “the Fed is out of bullets,” he said. The goal of the stimulus package is to generate growth by increasing government spending, Weil said. Although he disagreed with aspects of the package, he said he believes it was necessary. “Will it prevent a recession? Absolutely not,” he said. “But it’s hard to tell a story where the next year or two would not be better” with it. Weil, who described himself as a Democrat, said his main concern is that the package contains too much pork and too many pet projects from Democratic legislators. “In the context of getting this out very quickly, there’s a risk that this
will be very wasteful,” he said. He emphasized that cer tain aspects of the bill, like lending to state governments, are a good idea. Many state and local governments have balanced budget provisions that force them to reduce spending in response to declining revenues, which he said exacerbates the problem. The wisdom of the stimulus plan will ultimately depend, he said, on whether the country is able to generate enough economic growth to cut the budget deficit and justify borrowing billions of dollars from abroad. Levine spoke primarily about difficulties facing financial institutions and the need for government inter ventions at the taxpayer’s expense. “We’re unlikely to have well functioning banks in the near term unless the government gets involved,” he said. “The U.S. economy is founded on private entrepreneurship, and that entrepreneurship is founded on a well-functioning banking system.” Levine said the cost of allowing banks to fail would be catastrophic in the current economic climate. “There would be economy-wide implications,” he said.
The Obama administration’s plan is to invest directly in the banks and to team up with private investors to purchase bad assets. In such a plan, the government would support private investors by sharing in any losses while allowing those investors to hold onto almost all profits. One problem with this plan, Levine said, is that it will enrich the banks’ current owners. “Many of the same people that helped orchestrate the current crisis will be rewarded,” he said. Levine also said he believes that the plan will hurt the future operation of the financial system by reducing the incentives for people to effectively monitor the banks and by creating a financial aristocracy immune to the market. “One of the good things about the Obama plan is that it’s vague,” he said. Levine said the government would be better off getting common stock in return for their investments and forcing uninsured investors to suffer, though that would likely be more disruptive. Regardless of the plan’s details, Levine said it would have long-ranging consequences. “There’s going to be a re-thinking of government in many areas of our lives,” he said.
Interested in Web design?
Email herald@browndailyherald.com
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
C ampus N EWS
“It looked like a double, but two people already lived there.” — Grace Jun ’11, on being assigned to an occupied room
RPL apps down despite incentives
By Heeyoung Min Staf f Writer
The number of new applicants for Residential Peer Leader positions fell to 91 this spring from 117 last year, according to Natalie Basil, associate director in the Office of Residential Life, suggesting that the allure of an RPL’s biweekly stipend hasn’t necessarily increased despite recent economic turmoil. Although numbers were down, “competition continues to be high,” Basil said, adding that student interest varies ever y year. ResLife will extend offers to 63 of the 91 new applicants and rehire 42 current RPLs, Basil said, adding that they have hired a total of 22 Women’s Peer Counselors, 35 Residential Counselors, 40 Community Assistants and eight RPL Representatives. The selection committee convened on Feb. 20 and 23 to make decisions and will notify applicantstoday. Applicants submit an application, resume and two recommendations and are inter viewed by professional and student staffers, according to Basil. RCs, WPCs and CAs receive a stipend of $2,450 a year. continued on page 4
Page 3
For transfers, home is where the vacancies are were there no other transfers on the floor, there were not even any sophomores. When Grace Jun ’11, a spring trans“It used to be awkward at first, fer, arrived at her new room in Slater but I got used to it,” Jun said. “At the Hall, she found it already occupied. same time, I felt like I was missing “It looked like a double, but two peo- on the hall atmosphere.” ple already lived there,” Jun said. For some transfers, living with Jun went to the Office of Resi- returning students has worked out. dential Life to clear up the confu- “It’s really nice to have someone sion, and was told there had been who ‘knows the ropes,’ ” Alexandra a mistake. The woman Gilbert-Bono ’11 wrote working at ResLife “had in an e-mail to The HerFEATURE no idea where to put me,” ald. But when GilbertJun said. Bono transferred this semester from Transfers who arrive in either se- Swarthmore College, her new roommester are accommodated wherever mate was not notified that someone there is room. In the fall, transfers else would be moving in. are placed in the pool of students “She first thought she had walked who were not assigned housing in into the wrong room, and then she the lottery, said Natalie Basil, as- was just shocked,” Gilbert-Bono sociate director of ResLife. Spring wrote in her e-mail. “She was really transfers fill rooms that become nice, just surprised to see another vacant after students leave to study person in her room.” abroad or take time off. Though there were snags in Basil said that whenever possible, transfer housing this spring, these ResLife tries to pair transfers with problems were not necessarily other transfers and with students unique to transfers, according to of the same semester level to ease Basil. Any student who did not live their transition to Brown. on campus last semester — includNot all are so lucky. Jun was given ing transfers, students who studied a room on a mostly graduate-student continued on page 4 floor on Pembroke campus. Not only By Lauren Pischel Staf f Writer
Kim Perley / Herald
Applicants for peer leaders positions will be notified soon of decisions.
Phi Beta Kappa announces inductees The following 36 members of the class of 2010 were elected to the Rhode Island Alpha chapter of Phi Beta Kappa on Feb. 11: Gregory Anderson
Alex Kruckman
Zohar Atkins
Henry Liu
Amanda Bauer
Scott Lowenstein
Matthew Bauman
Tyler Lucero
Benjamin Chagnon
Alexis Mancini
William Chen
Andrew Mathis
Kien Chong
Cara Mazzucco
Jessica Dai
Mark Morales
Alena Davidoff-Gore
Joy Neumeyer
Keith Dellagrotta
Gregory Olson
Sophie Elsner
William O’Neil
Kieran Fitzgerald
Kyle Poyar
Rebecca Haberman
Grace Price
Ruth Heindel
Divya Samuel
Daniel Herbst
Paola Servado
Mannan Jalan
William Shore
Asad Jan
Sarah Stein
Jeffrey Kang
Rachael Venn
Evolution, religion subjects of Darwin panel By Anne Speyer Staff Writer
Students and faculty crowded into a Pembroke Hall classroom Tuesday evening to hear a panel discussion about interplay between religion and the theory of evolution around the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth. The panel featured four scholars from around the country who each presented on a different aspect of evolution and its implications for those who believe in a biblical story of creation. Professor of Biology Kenneth Miller ’70 P’02 acted as moderator. “This topic is important because evolution is still controversial in this country,” Miller said in an interview before the event. “For most people, the reason that evolution is controversial is a religious reason. They find it contradictory to their religious beliefs, and they find that evolution carries an unwelcome message.” First to speak at the panel was Edward Larson, the Hugh and Hazel Darling chair in law at Pepperdine University and the author of “Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America’s Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion.” Larson provided a historical background for the conversation, outlining the development of religious opposition to evolution. Larson explained that early opposition to the theory of evolution was based on fears that evolution would undermine a belief in God and in practical morality. The argument that evolution is false because it contradicts a literal interpretation
Max Monn / Herald
SUNY, Stony Brook’s Massimo Pigliucci participated in a Darwin panel.
of the book of Genesis, he said, is a more recent belief. Massimo Pigliucci, professor of ecology and evolution at State University of New York Stony Brook and co-author of “Making Sense of Evolution,” titled his portion of the talk “Science and/vs./with/as opposed to Religion” and explored the range of positions that are most commonly held today. Pigliucci first discussed the theory of mathematical physicist Frank Tipler, who believes that science proves the existence not only of a god, but of the Christian God. “This sounds ridiculous, because it is ridiculous,” Pigliucci said. “Science cannot prove the existence of God.” Pigliucci also considered theories which hold that science disproves
the existence of God, theories that say science and religion have nothing to do with each other and the theory of physicist Richard Feynman, who believed science’s “attitude” was incompatible with that of religion. Mary Bergstein, a professor of renaissance art and historiography at the Rhode Island School of Design and author of “The Philippson Bible: A World of Science and Art,” spoke about the significance of the Philippson Bible, an edition of the Hebrew Bible dating from the 19th century that illustrates the scriptures with scientific drawings of the plants and animals that are mentioned. Miller was the last panelist to speak and chose to address the conflict between religion and evolucontinued on page 4
Page 4
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
C ampus N EWS
“The guaranteed single is sort of icing on the cake.”
RCs gain leadership experience continued from page 3 But students interviewed by The Herald emphasized the opportunity to give back to the community and to gain leadership skills over financial considerations among their reasons for applying. “The main thing that motivated me to apply for the RC position was a feeling of responsibility to pass along some of the things I’ve learned over my first year at Brown,” said Zintis Inde ’12. “I’ve gotten a lot out of my experience, and I hope that I can share what I know to help the first-years next year have an equally rewarding year.”
RCs also gain “useful skills” such as mentoring and problem solving, Inde said. “The guaranteed single is sort of icing on the cake,” he added. Current RC Jamal Hill ’11 applied to be a CA, a residential leader for upperclassmen, for next year. Being a RPL has “practical benefits,” Hill said, like gaining leadership skills and networking. “I liked the general idea of being in a leadership position,” he said. “It’s a great way to establish your ideas of an ideal community. Also, I had a nice, smooth transition freshman year so I wanted to help others to have a similar experience.”
Andrew Hunt ’10, a current CA, decided to apply for the position after ser ving as a RC the previous year because “being a CA is a smaller time commitment.” But some students prefer the responsibilities that come along with being a RC, Hunt said, adding that “some CAs feel underworked” with only “super visorial” duties. Sandra Mastrangelo ’12 said that being surrounded by positive female role models throughout her life motivated her to apply for the WPC position. “I’ve also been in leadership positions throughout my life on female sports teams and have had to foster a supportive environment,” she said.
Rims and tires lifted off vehicle continued from page 2 10:40 a.m. Student reported that his laptop computer was stolen from the desk in his room in Keeney Quadrangle sometime between 1 p.m. on Feb. 15 and 8 a.m. on Feb. 16. The room was left unlocked. 10:57 a.m. A custodial supervisor reported damage on the first, third and fourth floors of Chapin House. Multiple men’s rooms were littered with garbage. And a hallway had chicken bones, beer cans and other
garbage on the floor. There were broken exit signs and there was also damage to a fire door. The hinges were disconnected.
Tuesday, Feb. 17 2:30 p.m. Officers were dispatched to the softball field in reference to damage to the press box. Investigation revealed that an unknown person or persons broke the window between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Feb. 17. 4:21 p.m. Reporting party stated
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
that her factory rims and tires were stolen from lot 77A. On Feb. 16 at approximately 7 p.m. she parked her vehicle. When she returned Feb. 17 at approximately 9:30 a.m. she realized that her rims and tires had been stolen. Wednesday, Feb. 18 4:15 p.m. An employee reported that her Brown-owned laptop computer was stolen from her office at 110 Elm St. between 3:45 p.m. and 4:10 p.m. No one was seen entering or leaving the office within that time.
— Zintis Inde ’12
Transfers try to make a new home — again continued from page 3 abroad and students who took a leave of absence — could have experienced similar issues. In the past, fall transfers have had worse housing placements than the spring transfers, Chelsea Harris ’09, who transferred in the fall of 2007 and is now a transfer coordinator, wrote in an e-mail to The Herald. Priority for unfilled rooms goes to incoming first-years and returning students who participated in the housing lottery but did not select rooms, according to Harris. According to Basil, the quality of housing for spring and fall transfers is similar and depends on which rooms are vacant. Some transfers have found these assignments, which are often scraped from the bottom of the barrel, less than ideal. Melea Atkins ’10 moved into a triple in Keeney Quadrangle
when she transferred in fall 2007. “Things were pretty bad,” she said. The triple aside, being in a dorm with mostly freshmen was sometimes uncomfortable. “You come in already having done freshman year. You come in at a very different place than the other freshmen,” Atkins said. When Harris first came to Brown, she lived on the first floor of Minden Hall with another transfer. A non-transfer lived in a single across the hall. “The roommate situation actually proved to be a really nice combination because I had another person who was just as desperate not to eat meals alone, and eager to meet people, and then someone who knew how Brown worked,” Harris wrote. When Jun was asked if she would move out of graduate-student housing if given the chance, she said she wouldn’t.
Evolution not a faith challenge for Miller continued from page 3 tion directly. “Evolution is an issue that divides Americans,” he said. Miller, who describes himself as a Catholic, addressed the misinformed idea that evolution is a theory of creation based on the “mistakes” of nature. “Evolution is an inherent and predictable property of nature,” he said, and therefore not a mistake.
In closing, Miller added, “An evolutionary ‘design’ to life is part of the inherent fabric of the natural world. The capacity for evolutionary change … can be understood by religious people (as) part of God’s plan for the natural world.” The discussion was co-hosted by the Cogut Center for the Humanities and the Committee on Science and Technology and held in honor of Darwin’s birthday, which was earlier this month.
Higher Ed The Brown Daily Herald
Wednesday, February 25, 2009 | Page 5
Hampshire leadership New CUNY campus still a dream disputes divestment claim By Andrew Sia Contributing Writer
By Matthew Varley Higher Ed Editor
Hampshire College’s divestment from a mutual fund this month has sparked controversy on its Amherst, Mass. campus. The administration has said the decision was based on a comprehensive audit of the fund, while the Hampshire chapter of the activist group Students for Justice in Palestine says the divestment is rooted in their campaign to cut the college’s financial ties to the Israeli occupation. Hampshire’s Board of Trustees voted Feb. 7 to divest from a State Street mutual fund that “held stocks in well over 200 companies engaged in business practices that violate the college’s policy on socially responsible investments,” according to Hampshire’s Web site. Six of those companies — Caterpillar, Terex, Motorola, ITT, General Electric and United Technologies — have contracts with the Israel Defense Forces, and SJP has previously lobbied Hampshire to divest from them. Five days after the divestment, the Climax — Hampshire’s student newspaper — reported that “Hampshire is the first college in the United States to cut its financial ties to Israel’s armed forces and activities in Gaza.” Hampshire SJP claimed “victory” on its Web site, asserting that the Board’s decision was “a direct result of pressure and efforts” by the group. Hampshire Board of Trustees chairman Sigmund Roos MA’80 called SJP’s assertion “disingenuous.” “It was very clear,” Roos said. “We had a lot of investments in that mutual fund that we did not want to be holding” because they violated Hampshire’s socially responsible investment policy. Roos said a report by the independent investment research firm KLD drove the divestment decision and the Board “never got to the merits of the SJP proposal.” According to Hampshire’s Web site, the college does not invest in corporations with records of “unfair labor practices, environmental abuse, military weapons manufacturing and unsafe workplace settings policy.” In an online statement entitled “Statement of Clarification Regarding Trustees’ Actions on College Investments,” Roos and Hampshire’s president and vice president said that a review of the State Street fund was initially undertaken by the school’s investment committee “to address a petition from ... Students for Justice in Palestine.” But the investment committee’s
decision “did not pertain to a political movement and it was not made in reference to Israel,” the statement concludes. “The board was absolutely clear that no one country was singled out,” Roos said. He added that undergraduate representatives were present at the investment committee meeting. Hampshire SJP posted a response to the administration’s statement on its Web site. In part, it states, “Hampshire College divested from the mutual fund for many reasons, yet the Palestine-Israel conflict was the most prominent reason behind divestment; the decision to divest was not outside of the context of SJP’s efforts. It does not matter if the Hampshire administration issues a public statement condemning the occupation; the Hampshire community understands how and why we came to divest.” Hampshire SJP member Ilana Rossoff said it was “unfortunate” the school administration — which she said once supported the SJP initative — took “a step back” in order to “avoid political repercussions.” “It’s really important in this time of great injustice to take a stance,” Rossoff said. “There are colleges all around the country that have been working on divestment campaigns.” On its Web site, Hampshire SJP calls the divestment “a direct result of a two-year intensive campaign” by the group. The site also claims “over 800 students, professors, and alumni have signed SJP’s ‘institutional statement’ calling for the divestment.” Rossoff said SJP’s agenda was to end Hampshire’s investment in companies “complicit specifically in the occupation” of the West Bank and Gaza. “We in no way claim to be divesting from Israel,” Rossoff said. Roos told The Herald that Hampshire invests in a number of Israel-based companies and foreign corporations that do business in Israel. Since Feb. 7, Hampshire SJP has received statements endorsing their efforts from a variety of academics, activists and leaders, including South African anti-apartheid leader Desmond Tutu and Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters. In 1977, Hampshire became the first academic institution in the country to divest from apartheidera South Africa. Rossoff said the recent divestment set a similar precedent. “This move was historic,” Rossoff said of Hampshire’s divestment, “no matter what they say.”
read | share | recycle
Admissions inter views, full-time enrollment and a four- to six-week summer orientation are all part of a proposal for a new community college by the City University of New York. But in the current economy, there is a lack of funding for the initiative. According to a 120-page concept paper released in August 2008, the new campus should yield higher graduation rates and students better prepared for employment. Currently, only 11 percent of students enrolled at CUNY’s six community colleges graduate within three years. And the system is currently facing its highest enrollment in 30 years, said Michael Arena, university director of communications and
marketing for CUNY. The new CUNY college will have an enrollment around 5,000 students and a curriculum that requires students to enroll full-time in a limited number of programs that incorporate the theme of “creating and sustaining a thriving New York City,” according to the concept paper. Unlike other community colleges, the new school will require admissions inter views. But unlike most four-year universities, these inter views will not be used to disqualify applicants — they are to educate the applicant about the program. “Open access should not be uninformed access,” read the concept paper. The proposal for the school is a “worthy cause,” said George Boggs, president and CEO of the
American Association of Community Colleges, an advocacy organization. Boggs said he supports any initiative that will improve the nation’s community colleges. Boggs said he was not ready to accept the concept of the new community college as a full solution to the problems faced by community colleges. Likewise, CUNY’s concept paper warns against using the school as a “one-size-fits-all model for community colleges.” “There are problems of scalability,” Boggs said, adding that nationwide, the majority of community college students study part-time, and it would be unreasonable to require students to enroll full-time. “Many students have jobs and cannot be full-time students,” continued on page 6
Page 6
H igher E d
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
“They were pretty physically rough with us.” — Emily Stainkamp, New York University student
Protests, confrontation shut down student center at NYU continued from page 1 demands was a desire for student empowerment, transparency, accountability and attention to human rights,” said Emily Stainkamp, a freshman at NYU who was inside Kimmel for the duration of the protest. Locked in The TBNYU campaign began in 2007 when a campus group, Students Creating Radical Change, joined with about two dozen other groups to form a coalition, Stainkamp said. The dining room was closed Thursday. The number of students inside the dining room during the protest remained steady, although students left throughout the day Thursday and on several occasions evaded guards to enter the eatery. According to a statement released Friday by James Devitt, the university’s deputy director for media relations, the university offered to have a dialogue with students if they left early Thursday night — an offer the protestors rejected. “We had all these back-and-forths — they’d tell us to leave, and we’d say no. They’d tell us to leave again and we’d say no again,” Stainkamp said. She said students on four occasions requested to discuss their demands with the administration, but on each occasion were told the university would not negotiate before students left the eatery. Late Thursday afternoon, Director of Student Activities Bob Butler told the protestors that anyone remaining in the room after 1 a.m. would be considered a trespasser. Throughout the course of the protest, those inside conveyed what was happening through a live video
feed and updates to the group’s Web site. NYULocal, an NYU blog, maintained a live blog and used Twitter to document the occupation from inside the Kimmel Center. At the 1 a.m. deadline, word of a planned rally had spread to the NYU community, and approximately 200 demonstrators gathered on the street below the Kimmel Center both to endorse and to criticize the occupation, according to the Washington Square News, NYU’s student newspaper. Police also converged on the scene, and one student demonstrating outside was arrested. “We were chanting from the balcony, people were singing in the streets. Lots of folks showed up to support us,” Stainkamp said. Emma Kaywin, a junior at NYU who was in the crowd during the rally, described the scene outside the building as “intense,” and said that the police officers used pepper spray to control the crowd, an account confirmed by other media reports. With the protest still in progress on Friday morning, NYU closed the entire student center. According to Stainkamp, administrators told the remaining protestors at that time they would be willing to negotiate. “We sent five (student) negotiators out in good faith,” she said. But upon leaving the dining hall, the students were told they were suspended, and the university would not negotiate. Shortly thereafter, the remaining protestors were unwillingly escorted from the building. “The gates to the room opened up and about 30 (administrators and public safety personnel) rushed in. They were pretty physically rough with us, and they told us we were all suspended,” she said. By 2 p.m., about 40 hours after
Courtesy Alexis Johnson / Washington Square News
Protestors took over New York University’s Kimmel Center for University Life in support for a number of demands.
the demonstration began, all the protestors had been cleared from the building, their demands unmet. According to Stainkamp, 18 students were temporarily suspended, and they have been banned from all campus buildings, cut off from meal plans and work-study jobs and removed from campus housing, while any final punishment is determined. ‘A big risk’ In an official statement, Devitt said NYU condemned the actions and explained the university’s response. “Robust dialogue is a customary, normal and expected part of the interaction between students, faculty and administration at NYU. But it is not appropriate for it to take place while there is an ongoing violation of university rules,” Devitt’s statement said. “Despite specific warnings to stay off the Kimmel Center balcony, (protestors) broke the lock to gain access to the balcony. The protesters also injured an NYU security officer during a scuffle.” “Despite the protesters’ stated principles that the protest was to be non-destructive and non-violent ... these actions dishonor NYU’s commitment to free exchange of ideas, reasoned debate and legiti-
mate forms of protest,” the statement said. Stainkamp, who is currently living with a friend off campus, believes the punishment was unfair. “This was all without any kind of due process. All of this happened without a hearing or any charges being formally brought against us,” she said. Stainkamp said students involved in the protest may face expulsion. “We knew we were taking a big risk in doing this,” she said. The campus reacts Reaction to the demonstration at NYU has been mixed. As of yesterday afternoon, Stainkamp said about 600 people had signed TBNYU’s online petition in support of the occupation, and a separate petition circulating among faculty currently had more than 170 signatures. In a Washington Square News poll of 211 students published yesterday, 65 percent of respondents say they did not believe the students should be expelled. Kit Gallant, a junior at NYU, opposed the occupation and the group’s demands. “As for their specific proposals, I think they were pretty misguided. Some were pretty valid, but they also had some really strange and
excessive demands,” he said, citing the groups’ call for scholarships for Palestinians as an example. He also said the group does not have broad support among students. “They speak for a very small part of the NYU community,” he said, adding that he believed the group’s tactics “turned off about 90 percent of students.” Scott Kaufman ’11, who transferred to Brown this year from NYU and said that he had never heard of TBNYU before last week, agreed. “Just because they’re willing to do something over the top doesn’t mean they have the support of students,” he said. Kaywin, who briefly joined the protesters inside but is not a member of TBNYU, said she believes many students supported the group’s general efforts, but not the occupation. “I think a lot of people agree with the demands but don’t agree with the way it went down,” she said. But she said the demonstration was important in that it started students and faculty talking about campus issues. “This was a radical thing, but it was something that happened and now a dialogue can start,” she said. “It’s action compared to inaction.”
Economy delays new CUNY campus continued from page 5 Boggs said. The idea for the college is based on the Accelerated Study in Associate Program, which was created by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg as a way to improve graduation rates of community college students. The 1,132 students who currently participate in ASAP have higher grade-point averages
and more credits than students not enrolled in the program, according to a Januar y New York Times article. CUNY hopes to duplicate this success at the new community college, the Times reported. But Arena said that while there is interest for the school, there is currently no funding. Meanwhile, money for ASAP is disappearing. The program was funded with a one-time appropria-
tion that was not guaranteed to be renewed, Arena said. He added that he hopes students’ graduation from ASAP will show its success and lead to continued funding. Students in ASAP currently receive free textbooks and MetroCards, an initiative CUNY hopes to match at the new community college, the Times reported, but Arena declined to comment on the likelihood of such benefits.
SportsWednesday The Brown Daily Herald
Wednesday, February 25, 2009 | Page 7
W. tennis cleans up in weekend doubleheader By Meghan Markowski Contributing Writer
The women’s tennis team (7-2) dominated on Saturday at the Pizzitola Center, beating both Seton Hall and Quinnipiac, 7-0. The team won all 18 matches and had 13 different players contribute to the team effort. “With only one senior graduating from last year and five first-year players arriving, we knew we were going to have a deep squad, so I tried to put together a schedule that would allow us to play as many players as possible throughout the spring,” Head Coach Paul Wardlaw wrote in an e-mail to The Herald. “We are currently playing nine players in the lineup when we travel, so we’re already making sure there are playing opportunities for the players.” Seton Hall was no challenge for the Bears. Sara Mansur ’09 and Cassandra Herzberg ’12 confirmed they are a dominating doubles team, winning 8-1. The second doubles tandem of Emily Ellis ’10 and Kathrin Sorokko ’10 — who usually play third doubles — and the third doubles team of Julie Flanzer ’12 and Catherine Stewart ’12 also controlled the courts, winning 8-4 and 8-3, respectively. The singles players didn’t let up on their opponents, either. Bianca Aboubakare ’11 played first singles and effortlessly won, 6-0, 6-0. Against Quinnipiac, Aboubakare
also won her singles match, 6-3, 6-1, as well as her doubles match with Herzberg, 8-3. The other doubles wins came from second doubles Ellis and Sorokko, 8-5, and third doubles Alexa Baggio ’09 and Stewart in a closer match, 8-7. “I’ve been most impressed with our third doubles team of Kathrin Sorokko and Emily Ellis,” wrote Wardlaw. “The two juniors are good friends off the court and have become a really cohesive team oncourt. They’ve both come in for extra training individually and together and their hard work has clearly paid off. I would say right now they are playing the best pure doubles of our three teams based on how they are moving and controlling court position.” Mansur, Flanzer, Stewart, Ellis and Marisa Schonfeld ’11 all easily beat their opponents in their singles matches, ending Saturday’s victorious doubleheader. “We’ll continue to focus on our doubles as we prepare for (UMass) as our improved doubles play will decide most of our Ivy matches this spring,” Wardlaw wrote. “The team will also continue to build on our attacking skills in singles. I like where we are at this time of year, and I’m most impressed with how strong our team chemistry is. This is easily one of the best ‘teams’ I’ve coached.” The Bears will host UMass next Tuesday at 4 p.m.
Justin Coleman / Herald
The women’s basketball team still has one Ivy victory on its resume, but failed in two chances to grab another.
Two games, two losses for w. hoops By Nicole Stock Spor ts Staf f Writer
The women’s basketball team (321, 1-9 Ivy league) traveled to New York this past weekend to take on Columbia 57 Brown and Cornell. Columbia 88 The Bears fell 88-57 on 58 Brown Friday night 68 Cornell to the Lions of Columbia (13-11, 6-4 Ivy), then dropped a 6858 contest to the Cornell Big Red (9-13, 5-5 Ivy).
Road split sets m. tennis up for homestand By Erin Frauenhofer Spor ts Staf f Writer
The men’s tennis team faced two foes on the road over the weekend, coming away with a 7-0 loss to No. 32 Virginia Tech on Saturday and a 7-0 win over Georgetown the next day. Virginia Tech 7, Brown 0 “Going into the Virginia Tech match, we knew we had both a great opportunity and a big challenge ahead of us,” said captain Sam Garland ’09. “We needed to all have great days in order to have a chance of upsetting the 32nd-ranked team currently in the nation. They are deep throughout their lineup and fight hard for every point.” Unfortunately, the Bears lost an integral member of their lineup with captain Chris Lee ’09 suffering from a back injury. “We played the whole weekend without Chris,” said Head Coach Jay Harris. “That maybe tripped the guys up a little bit the first day. It took a while to adjust to that. We competed pretty well, but we missed having Chris out there.” The Bears dropped all of the doubles matches to give the Hokies a 1-0 lead. First doubles team Noah Gardner ’09 and Garland fell by a score of 8-4, and at second doubles, Skate Gorham ’10 and Jonathan
Pearlman ’11 lost 8-5. Kendrick Au ’11 and Charlie Posner ’11 dropped an 8-2 match at third doubles. “In the doubles, all of our teams were caught off guard by (the Hokies’) conservative style and ability to play great defense in order to lob or pass us at net,” Garland said. “Not having our top doubles lineup is never easy either, and with Chris Lee out, we had to mix up our No. 2 and 3 teams with new pairings.” The Bears lost four of the singles matches in straight sets. Au and Jimmy Cr ystal ’12 dropped their respective matches at fifth and sixth singles by scores of 6-2, 6-2 and 6-3, 6-3. At third singles, Garland fell to Pedro Graber, 6-1, 6-4, while at fourth singles, Gardner lost to Luka Somen by a score of 6-4, 6-3. “The Virginia Tech players played big during the points that matter the most,” Garland said. At first and second singles, respectively, Pearlman and Gorham pushed their opponents to third sets. After losing the first set, Pearlman rebounded to claim the second set, but dropped the third set super-breaker for a final score of 7-5, 5-7, 1-0 (9). Meanwhile, Gorham battled back at second singles after also dropping the first set, but like his teammate, Gorham lost the super-breaker for a score of
6-3, 3-6, 1-0 (5). “Even though we lost to Virginia Tech, we had a lot of chances,” Crystal said. “It showed us that we could compete with teams at that level.” Brown 7, Georgetown 0 Against Georgetown on Sunday, the Bears jumped out to a 1-0 lead after clinching the doubles point. “Right from the start against Georgetown, we had more energy and were more confident,” Crystal said. At first doubles, Gardner and Garland trounced Michael Clarke and David Tillem, 8-2. Gorham and Pearlman dropped the second doubles match, but Au and Crystal earned an 8-5 victor y at third doubles. “It came down to Kendrick and Jimmy,” Harris said. “It was one of the first times they ever played together, but those guys really came through.” The Bears went on to sweep all six singles matches. “I think (the doubles matches) deflated Georgetown’s confidence a ton going into the singles matches, where we dominated throughout,” Garland said. Pearlman defeated Tillem by a score of 6-3, 6-3 at first singles. continued on page 8
Columbia 88, Brown 57 As the first half ended, the Bears were lagging 49-27, and were unable to close the gap in the second half. Columbia’s superior rebounding performance was a major factor as the Lions out-rebounded Bruno 4727. Columbia’s Judie Lomax, the nation’s leading rebounder, grabbed 17 boards in the game — only ten less than the entire Brown team. “Columbia is a very strong team with a solid inside presence on both ends of the court, but we worked
extremely hard as a team to fight for every board and to contest each shot,” said Shae Fitzpatrick ’10. Fitzpatrick led the Bears in the first half with nine points, including two three-pointers. The Lions started the second half on a 14-5 run to extend their lead to 30 with 15 minutes remaining. The Lions ended the game with 88 points to Brown’s 57. Columbia shot 51 percent from the field in the game, also shooting well from behind the arc. For continued on page 8
Page 8
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
S ports W ednesday
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Bears blank Hoyas to secure weekend split continued from page 7 At second singles, Gorham triumphed over Andrew Bruhn, 6-4, 6-2. “We won the singles matches really convincingly,” Harris said. “All the guys played exceptionally well.” Garland, Au and Cr ystal all took straight-set wins at fourth, fifth and sixth singles, respectively. Garland had a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Adam Gross, and Au defeated Kenneth Wong by a score of 6-0, 6-4. Meanwhile, Crystal overpowered Rafael Notario, 6-1, 6-3. “Going into the Georgetown match, we wanted to work harder than our opponents on all the big points, so we stressed consistency and discipline in all the singles matches,” Garland said.
At third singles, Gardner took the first set, 6-1, and was ahead 3-1 in the second set when his opponent retired. “We learned a lot from the Virginia Tech match in terms of what a good team does, and we were able to use some of that against Georgetown,” Harris said. Next on the Bears’ schedule is a doubleheader at home on Saturday. Brown will take on Binghamton at 12 p.m. and UConn at 5 p.m. “Binghamton is going to be a huge match,” Harris said. “They’re really hot coming in. It’s probably the best team that they’ve had.” Garland said the Bears are “hoping to have Chris Lee injuryfree by then. Binghamton always fights hard as a team, and we’ll need our best to beat them.”
Justin Coleman / Herald
The women’s hoops team had a difficult weekend road swing, losing to Columbia and Cornell.
Big Red comeback downs w. hoops continued from page 7 the Bears, Fitzpatrick finished the game with 13 points. Sarah Delk ’11 and Christina Johnson ’10 each grabbed five rebounds for the game. “Columbia shot well from the floor, and when you are on the road in front of a packed house, it is as if you are already working to overcome a deficit,” Fitzpatrick said. “As a team, we had a good offensive performance, working well to get each other open and capitalize on our individual strengths.” Cornell 68, Brown 58 The game on Saturday night was tightly contested, though it ended with the Bears on the losing end. Just five minutes in, the game was already proving to be a close match-up. Karly Grace ’11 contributed to the Bears’ offensive play, knotting the game at 10 early on.
Brown and Cornell dueled for the lead, but the Bears ended the first half with a two-point advantage, 32-30. “Our focus going into the game was to contain 23 (Lauren Benson) and 53 (Shannon Scarselletta), and the emphasis was on getting three defensive stops in a row as many times as possible,” said Courtney Lee ’10. “So doing both of those things allowed us to stay focused, which kept it a close game.” The Bears started the second half on a 9-2 run to take a 41-32 lead in the first three minutes. With just over four minutes remaining in the game, Cornell was able to take the lead for the first time in the second half. The Big Red tacked on an extra jumper to take a three-point lead, forcing Brown to start fouling in the last minutes of the game. Clutch free throws from Cornell continued to build the lead at the end of the game to put
Brown away after a close match. The game ended with Cornell on top, 68-58. “In the last part of the second half, we lost our focus of three stops in a row,” Lee said. Lee led the Bears with 13 points and six rebounds, followed by Fitzpatrick and Delk with 12 points each. Although the Bears were once again out-rebounded, 37-29, Betsy Jacobson ’11 was able to pull down a team-high eight. “We played some great team ball and executed at both ends of the floor. Of course, we certainly wish we could have made the long trip home with a victory, but we showed great resiliency and fight on the weekend,” Fitzpatrick said. Next weekend the Bears will play their final home games of the season, hosting Princeton (9-14, 4-5) on Friday and Penn (6-17, 3-6) on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Pizzitola Center.
Editorial & Letters The Brown Daily Herald
Page 10 | Wednesday, February 25, 2009
e d i to r i a l
Arm the police Guns are on the table for the Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education. The board is weighing a proposal to arm the police forces of the state’s public colleges — Rhode Island College, the University of Rhode Island and the Community College of Rhode Island. The three institutions’ police departments have embraced the plan as a surefire way to improve campus security. Many students and faculty have understandable reservations about this idea. Violent crime is rare at the three schools, and firearms always pose a risk, even in the holsters of well-trained and responsible officers. However, Brown’s experience with armed campus police provides an encouraging example for the nearby colleges. After an intensive two-year training and accreditation effort, Department of Public Safety officers first carried arms on duty in January 2006. Though statistics don’t tell the whole story, Brown has seen an appreciable decline in violent crime since then. Common sense also backs up the proposal. It is vital for a security officer to be able to take control of a violent or potentially violent situation, and firearms are indispensable for that purpose. Currently, campus police at the three schools cannot adequately react to incidents involving a deadly weapon and instead have to alert local police departments when they occur. This allows dangerous situations to get further out of hand as the requests makes their way through the lines of communication and the municipal police respond. Armed campus police can also protect against improbable but devastating tragedies like the massacre at Virginia Tech in April 2007, when a student gunman took the lives of 32 classmates and professors. Yes, the carnage served as a reminder that police firearms are not a panacea: A hesitant police response allowed the killing to continue, and the shooter eventually took his own life. But even flawlessly directed police responders would have been helpless to stop the gunfire without guns of their own. Every school thinks it’s immune to the horror at Virginia Tech. No school really is. But arming campus police is an effective and worthwhile precaution that might save many lives if the worst happens. The Board of Governors is scheduled to make its decision this spring. Its soundest option is to approve the plan and allay the fears of its critics by ensuring that Rhode Island’s public colleges carefully and rigorously prepare their campus officers for this new responsibility. Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.
t h e b r o w n d a i ly h e r a l d Editor-in-Chief Steve DeLucia
Managing Editors Michael Bechek Chaz Firestone editorial
Arts & Culture Editor Ben Hyman Hannah Levintova Arts & Culture Editor Features Editor Sophia Li Features Editor Emmy Liss Higher Ed Editor Gaurie Tilak Higher Ed Editor Matthew Varley Metro Editor George Miller Metro Editor Joanna Wohlmuth News Editor Chaz Kelsh News Editor Jenna Stark Sports Editor Benjy Asher Sports Editor Andrew Braca Asst. Sports Editor Alex Mazerov Asst. Sports Editor Katie Wood Graphics & Photos Graphics Editor Chris Jesu Lee Graphics Editor Stephen Lichenstein Eunice Hong Photo Editor Kim Perley Photo Editor Justin Coleman Sports Photo Editor production Kathryn Delaney Copy Desk Chief Seth Motel Copy Desk Chief Marlee Bruning Design Editor Jessica Calihan Design Editor Anna Migliaccio Asst. Design Editor Julien Ouellet Asst. Design Editor Neal Poole Web Editor
Associate Editors Nandini Jayakrishna Franklin Kanin Michael Skocpol
Senior Editors Rachel Arndt Catherine Cullen Scott Lowenstein
carly huddelson
Business General Managers Office Manager Shawn Reilly Alexander Hughes Jonathan Spector Directors Ellen DaSilva Sales Director Claire Kiely Sales Director Phil Maynard Sales Director Katie Koh Finance Director Jilyn Chao Asst. Finance Director Managers Local Sales Kelly Wess National Sales Kathy Bui University Sales Alex Carrere Recruiter Sales Christiana Stephenson Credit and Collections Matt Burrows Opinions Opinions Editor Sarah Rosenthal Editorial Page Board James Shapiro Editorial Page Editor Nick Bakshi Board member Zack Beauchamp Board member William Martin Board member Sara Molinaro Board member Post- magazine Arthur Matuszewski Kelly McKowen
Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief
Jessie Calihan, Anna Migliaccio, Leor Shtull-Leber , Designer Sara Chimene-Weiss, Jordan Mainzer, Halie Rando, Copy Editors Ellen Cushing, Sydney Ember, Matt Varley, Night Editors Senior Staff Writers Mitra Anoushiravani, Colin Chazen, Ellen Cushing, Sydney Ember, Lauren Fedor, Nicole Friedman, Britta Greene, Sarah Husk, Brian Mastroianni, Hannah Moser, Ben Schreckinger, Caroline Sedano, Melissa Shube, Anne Simons, Sara Sunshine, Staff Writers Zunaira Choudhary, Chris Duffy, Nicole Dungca, Juliana Friend, Cameron Lee, Kelly Mallahan, Christian Martell, Heeyoung Min, Seth Motel, Jyotsna Mullur, Lauren Pischel, Leslie Primack, Anne Speyer, Alexandra Ulmer, Kyla Wilkes Sports Staff Writers Nicole Stock Senior Business Associates Max Barrows, Jackie Goldman, Margaret Watson, Ben Xiong Business Associates Stassia Chyzhykova, Misha Desai, Bonnie Kim, Maura Lynch, Cathy Li, Allen McGonagill, Thanases Plestis, Corey Schwartz, William Schweitzer, Kenneth So, Evan Sumortin, Haydar Taygun, Webber Xu, Lyndse Yess Design Staff Sara Chimene-Weiss, Katerina Dalavurak, Gili Kliger, Jessica Kirschner, Joanna Lee, Maxwell Rosero, Leor Shtull-Leber, John Walsh, Kate Wilson, Qian Yin Photo Staff Qidong Chen, Janine Cheng, Alex DePaoli, Frederic Lu, Quinn Savit, Min Wu Copy Editors Sara Chimene-Weiss, Sydney Ember, Lauren Fedor, Anna Jouravleva, Geoffrey Kyi, Frederic Lu, Jordan Mainzer, Kelly Mallahan, Allison Peck, Madeleine Rosenberg, Luis Solis Web Developers Jihan Chao
C O R R E C T I O N S P olicy The Brown Daily Herald is committed to providing the Brown University community with the most accurate information possible. Corrections may be submitted up to seven calendar days after publication. C ommentary P O L I C Y The editorial is the majority opinion of the editorial page board of The Brown Daily Herald. The editorial viewpoint does not necessarily reflect the views of The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Columns, letters and comics reflect the opinions of their authors only. L etters to the E ditor P olicy Send letters to letters@browndailyherald.com. Include a telephone number with all letters. The Herald reserves the right to edit all letters for length and clarity and cannot assure the publication of any letter. Please limit letters to 250 words. Under special circumstances writers may request anonymity, but no letter will be printed if the author’s identity is unknown to the editors. Announcements of events will not be printed. advertising P olicy The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. reserves the right to accept or decline any advertisement at its discretion.
Opinions The Brown Daily Herald
Wednesday, February 25, 2009 | Page 11
Incarcerating innocents in Rhode Island Dan Davidson Opinions Columnist As Americans, we expect the right to a fair trial to the point where we sometimes take it for granted. If someone is accused of a crime but acquitted of the charges, he is not ordinarily punished. But this is not the case for all Rhode Islanders. Under current state law, citizens on probation can be imprisoned after being charged with a crime, regardless of whether they’re actually found guilty. How can such an injustice occur? When a Rhode Islander is on probation, he must adhere to the terms of his sentence or face imprisonment for their violation. Sentences often mandate that a probationer “keep the peace.” This is reasonable enough — if someone is on probation for committing a crime, the state should demand that he not cause any trouble. In practice, however, this stipulation allows the state to incarcerate probationers for simply being accused of a crime, regardless of whether they’re guilty. The standard of proof judges follow is “reasonable satisfaction,” not the more stringent “reasonable doubt” generally afforded to defendants in a criminal trial.
It’s hard to believe that someone could face prison time without a conviction, but it happens in Rhode Island. The Rhode Island Family Life Center, a local non-profit that ser ves ex-offenders and their families, produced a documentar y, “Violated: Guilty Though Proven Innocent,” last year that highlights a few shocking examples. One man featured in the video, Richard Beverly, recalls being arrested and charged with breaking and entering while on probation. He was acquitted, but still
probationers can end up spending years in prison “just for being in the wrong spot at the wrong time,” he said. Fortunately, this practice may end soon, though it may be an uphill battle. State Rep. David Segal, D-Dist. 2 introduced legislation earlier this year that would require the state to release people incarcerated for violating their probation by failing to keep the peace if they are acquitted or exonerated of their crime. Segal proposed similar legislation last year that Governor Donald
Under current state law, citizens on probation can be imprisoned after being charged with a crime, regardless of whether they’re actually found guilty.
ser ved three years in prison. Another inmate, Joey Perr y, was given a 10-year sentence on a charge that was dismissed by the judge. Anthony Donald, a Rhode Island probationer, summed up the current state of affairs succinctly in a Providence Journal article last year. The way the law operates,
Carcieri ’65 vetoed. The governor and Attorney General’s office argue that the way the state currently deals with probationers accused of crimes is reasonable because, in the words of Assistant Attorney General Stacey Veroni, they are on “a conditional liberty status.” They have struck a bargain with the
state whereby they will receive probation instead of time in prison, and in return they must keep the peace. “Even if that’s the case,” Segal wrote in an e-mail, “when we’re considering crimes whose penalty will entail substantial time in prison we should give (probationers) a fair trial. We have really long probationar y terms, and a particular ease of putting people back in prison. In combination, that means people are often on a leash and inand-out of prison for an inordinate amount of time, and often for less-than-convincing reasons.” With Democratic supermajorities in both houses of the state legislature, Segal is optimistic about the bill’s chances. Asked about the prospect of another veto, he wrote, “I hope we can pass it early, so we can override it early.” Rhode Islanders’ collective conscience should not be saddled with the knowledge that people have ser ved long terms in prison for crimes they did not commit. Segal’s bill should have been passed long ago.
Dan Davidson ’11 is a political science and music concentrator from Atlanta, Georgia. He can be reached at Daniel_Davidson@brown.edu
The ‘Brown student’ shows up at the Janus Forum lecture ANTHONY STAEHELIN Opinions Columnist Last Thursday, the Janus Forum hosted a lecture around the question: “Are there universal human rights?” As is usual for Janus Forum lectures, the talk involved two speakers with opposing views. On one side, Larr y Cox, executive director of Amnesty International USA, argued that there are indeed such things as universal human rights and that no matter the context or challenges at hand, these rights are inalienable. On the other side, John Yoo, Professor of Law at University of California, Berkeley and a legal advisor to the Bush administration, argued that in the world we live in, there are no such things as universal human rights and that, as with most other questions in life, the issue of human rights really boils down to a cost-benefit analysis and there is no such thing as a universal inalienable human right. I should specify here that this is a gross oversimplification of their arguments. I should also add, in the interest of full disclosure, that I am a co-director of the Janus Forum. Although the speakers were engaging, the topic was fascinating and the lecture thought- provoking, what personally thrilled me the most was the type of Brown student on display that afternoon.
Much ink has been spilled recently in the columns of The Herald to tr y and come up with the right definition of the “Brown student.” But the truth is that there is no solitary definition or single mold that can fit the broad range of Brown students. I couldn’t agree more with columnist Tyler Rosenbaum’s assertion that “on our campus there are liberals, conser vatives, libertarians, socialists and ever ything in between. Nonconformity is appreciated and even encouraged” (The reality of the ‘Brown student,’ Feb. 20). But then how could we,
most defining characteristics of the “Brown student”: an independence of thought and a willingness to engage people with differing views. I firmly believe that this is what is special about Brown University. Brown students actively engage each other as independent thinkers. Not only do students stand up for their convictions, they are willing to question them as well by confronting one another respectfully and with open minds. At Brown, we don’t avoid intellectual disagreements or opposing views; on the
At Brown, we don’t avoid intellectual disagreements or opposing views; on the contrary, we seek them out.
and, more importantly, why would we tr y to come up with a specific definition that describes all the students of a university that prides itself on diversity? If you ask the 6,000-odd students at our school to define the “Brown student,” you may well get 7,000 different answers. Unbeknownst to these rival columnists, the debate over who or what a “Brown student” is highlights what may be some of the
contrar y, we seek them out. President Ruth Simmons put it best when she said, “While other types of communities devise covenants so as to avoid conflict, our covenant is rooted in quarrel, in opposition. We encourage ideas and opinions to collide in the ser vice of learning.” And I believe that the Brown student, as an independent thinker willing to engage with people that disagree with him or
her, showed up last Thursday at the Janus Forum Lecture where people with diverse viewpoints came together and discussed a contentious issue freely and passionately. Although the lecture did stir up protest outside the event, this was to be expected with a figure as controversial as Yoo. Moreover, the protest was small, was not mainly comprised of Brown students and did not inter fere with the event. A much larger demonstration might have been expected from a university considered the most liberal in the Ivy League. Admirably, Brown students realized that a speaker who holds views uncommon at our school represented more of an opportunity to learn than a threat to their convictions. Rather than physical protest, intellectual dissent was a major part of the night. Brown students epitomizing independence of thought and a willingness to engage in discussion quietly and attentively listened to both speakers before challenging both of them by asking tough questions, seizing upon weak spots in their arguments or even questioning their premises. Whether it be in the pages of The Herald or at the microphones in a Janus Forum lecture, it is our commitment to engaging each other and defending and questioning our convictions that defines us most.
Anthony Staehelin ’10 is a political science concentrator from Geneva, Switzerland.
Today
5
Hampshire College divests, but why?
The Brown Daily Herald
7
to day
to m o r r o w
35 / 26
49 / 34
Women’s tennis dominates competition Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Page 12
the news in images
3
7 UPSET AT THE DUNK
c a l e n da r Today, February 25
Thursday, February 26
6 PM — “The Argument,” A Performance by David Greenspan, McCormack Family Theater
7:30 PM — A reading by John Ashbery, Salomon 101 8 PM — “Cabaret,” Stuart Theatre
8 PM — “Hot and Heavy: Leave Me Breathless,” St. Anthony Hall
menu Sharpe Refectory
Verney-Woolley Dining Hall
Lunch — Beef Tacos, Spanish Rice, Vegetarian Tacos
Lunch — Cheese Ravioli, Fried Fish Sandwich, Corn O’Brien
Dinner — Lasagna, Spinach Stuffed Squash, Baked Scrod
Dinner — Tilapia Provencal, Spanish Quiche, Red Flannel Hash
RELEASE DATE– Wednesday, February 25, 2009
c r o sDaily s w oCrossword rd Los Angeles Times Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 John Ellis Bush, familiarly 4 Unresponsive condition 8 Mine passage 13 “__ Enchanted”: 2004 film 15 Nicholas II was the last 16 Friend of Rex 17 Ersatz 18 *Maupassant forte 20 Speedy 22 R&B’s India.__ 23 Adjusts to create a mood, as lights 24 College QB, e.g. 26 “This is too much!” 28 Sporty Toyotas 31 Spew 32 *Series of missed calls 34 Get steamed 38 Latin 101 word 39 Animal’s mouth 41 Wood of the Stones 42 Western evergreen 46 *Fan of a “Grateful” band 50 Refinery inputs 52 Basic ed trio 53 Piano bar petitions 57 Dietary no-no, sometimes 58 Race place 59 Author Bombeck 61 Oberon of “Wuthering Heights” 64 *Sissy 67 Nantes night 68 Albert of “Green Acres” 69 Avian warbler 70 __ Domini 71 Harvests 72 Three-handed card game 73 Level of comprehension DOWN 1 Bridges of “Seabiscuit” 2 Mideast carrier 3 *Aristocrat
4 They’re to the right of the decimal pt. 5 Org. concerned with ergonomics 6 Polynesian tongue 7 Make it in 8 Frat ldrs., probably 9 *Highly anticipated appointment 10 Stay away from 11 Physicist Enrico 12 Meeting on the q.t. 14 Designated firer 19 Overflows 21 Ripped 25 Cool dude 27 Hasten 28 Practice on canvas 29 Words of worry 30 Uncle on a poster 33 Roam (about) 35 *Source of branches 36 Icy glaze 37 Concludes 40 Soaked 43 *Barely batted ball
44 Fury 45 Adjust, as a hem 47 Tonsil-checking sounds 48 Wee weight 49 Capital near the Great Divide 51 They’re often stuck in lids 53 Rodeo performer 54 Get away from 55 Press conference format, briefly
56 Hardly an ingratiating grin 60 Cruising, maybe 62 Queue, and word that can follow both words in the answers to starred clues 63 Thames school 65 Hoped-for proposal response 66 Dynamite relative
Friars take down nation’s top team
73
The city enjoyed a moment in the national spotlight Tuesday as the Providence Friars men’s basketball team stunned No. 1 Pittsburgh before a packed house at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. Weyinmi Efejuku scored 16 points as the Friars (17-11, 9-7 Big East) dealt DeJuan Blair and the Panthers an 81-73 defeat, just their third of the year.
81
The Friars had not beaten a topranked team since Dec. 29, 1976, when they beat Michigan.
comics Cabernet Voltaire| Abe Pressman
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
Enigma Twist | Dustin Foley
xwordeditor@aol.com
02/25/09
The One About Zombies | Kevin Grubb
By Scott Atkinson (c)2009 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
02/25/09